Sanaa rejects attempt to hand over Socotra Airport to UAE company

SANAA, Feb. 24 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based General Authority of Civil Aviation and Meteorology completely rejected the attempt to hand over the management of Socotra International Airport to the so-called UAE-owned Eastern Triangle Holding Company.

In a statement, the Authority considered this attempt a direct threat and a blatant violation of national sovereignty and a squandering of the rights of Yemenis to manage their resources.
“Based on Articles (32) and (34) of the Yemeni Civil Aviation Law, which prohibit any external interference in the management of Yemeni airports,” the statement added.

It called on the national and international conscience to confront the crime of violating Socotra International Airport, by granting the “Eastern Triangle” Company the powers to change the airport’s identity and empty it of its specialized Yemeni staff, under the pretext of an illegal permit.

The statement pointed out that taking such steps, in mysterious and suspicious ways, reflected a state of dependence and subordination to external forces.

The statement stressed that the Authority would not hesitate to confront any attempt that undermines the interests and sovereignty of the nation, denouncing strongly the efforts aimed at marginalizing national cadres and replacing them with external parties.

The Authority’s statement reiterated its emphasis that the airport was operating with high efficiency, far from political conflicts and narrow interests, warning of the serious consequences of such measures on Yemen and its sovereignty.

The statement declared the full solidarity with the airport employees in their rejection of any external interference affecting the independence of work.

AA